On Tour With Eric Clapton

Despite the enormous amount of respect that Delaney & Bonnie & Friends have garnered over the years, especially by their peers in the late-1960s and early-1970s, the husband and wife fronted rock/soul group somehow never managed to achieve the fame or financial success that many other notable acts of their day did. Throughout the 4 years the group was together, they acted as a temporary home for musicians like Leon Russell, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, King Curtis, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle and Rita Coolidge as well as guitar superstars like Dave Mason, Duane Allman, George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Both Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett went on to have artistically fruitful careers after their creative and marital breakup in 1972, but neither ever managed to recreate the “spark” that they had while they were together.

Several great albums came out of the Bramlett’s partnership, but none more noteworthy than 1970’s ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON. The classic live LP featured the group’s most recognized lineup of “friends” and was recorded during the group’s 1969 British tour. It originally clocked in at a mere 40 minutes, but now, thanks to the good people at Rhino Handmade, fans can revel in over three hours of previously unreleased performances. The recently released Deluxe-Edition features 52 tracks spread out over 4 discs, with rare photos and 37 pages of liner notes; all housed in a cardboard box styled to look like a traveling amp case.

Instead of re-releasing ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON with a bonus disc of previously unreleased material, Rhino opted to abandon the typical “Deluxe-Edition” template, omitting the original LP and replacing it with three complete live performances (Royal Albert Hall 12/01/69 and two shows from Fairfield Halls 12/07/69) as well as a composite of 12/02/69’s performances from Colston Hall; a total of 4 shows’ worth of performances on 4 CDs. In addition to previously unreleased versions of all 8 of the songs featured on the original album, this reissue contains live versions of a plethora of other Delaney & Bonnie standards and covers. Standout bonus tracks include the Clapton fronted “I Don’t Know Why” (from his debut solo album), the Davis/Winwood penned “Gimme Some Lovin’”, the instrumental “Pigmy” and a medley of “Pour Your Love On Me” and “Just Plain Beautiful.”

It is a beautifully packaged collection of music that would make any Delaney & Bonnie fan (as well as Clapton fan) more than happy, but as always it could’ve been even better. The performances and track-lists do not differ greatly from disc to disc, unfortunately creating the feeling that the box-set contains doubles (and at times quadruples) of its more popular material. Even though it would’ve taken the reissue slightly outside of its basic concept, this Deluxe-Edition would have benefited greatly from the inclusion of one or more of the group’s performances from their 1970 American tour with Eric Clapton. The 1970 shows’ performances were slightly looser, with Clapton feeling a little more “at home” with his placement in the band and taking on a more prominent role; creating a very different vibe from this set’s 1969 material. Having shows from both years presented side by side would’ve made for an amazing and interesting musical juxtaposition. A companion DVD featuring the group’s many 1969 European TV appearances would have also made for wonderful addition to this already spectacular collection.

With all that said, Rhino’s ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON Deluxe-Edition is a pretty impressive box-set. Yes improvements can always be made, but on its own, it creates a beautiful portrait of a group and a time that does not get thought about all that often these days. The set is a great collection of wonderful music from what was essentially a “white” rock and soul super-group and it is also an excellent tribute to Delaney Bramlett, who sadly passed away just two years ago. It is unfortunate that he’s not here to see (and hear) it, but he is remembered fondly by everyone who listens to and loves his music.

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New York fans, be sure to check out the Robert Cray Band at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill on Wednesday November 3rd, 2010.

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